But here are some less-obvious punches you might not be ready for.

[Obligatory caveat – I’m no fitness expert. Consult your doctor before doing anything strenuous. Also, if you know more about exercise than I do, please share your fitness ideas in the comments. Thanks!]

Squatting

Let’s face it: our backsides are pampered here in the States. While traveling you could be faced with any number of toilet scenarios that will shock your delicate sensibilities: creatures swimming (true story), seat covered with ?????, no seat at all, or simply a hole in the ground.

At some point you’ll end up on a bus that is careening around cliff-side roads that curve left, curve right, curve left again … you get the idea. There’s nothing holding you in place, so your core muscles start to brace to keep you from leaning into the stranger next to you.

Focus on your core with planks. (Unless you want to get close to the stranger next to you. I’m not judging.)

Steady-ing

This is for those times when there’s no seat available on the bus mentioned above. So you’re standing. Around the curves. Maybe there’s something to hold onto. Maybe not. Hope your legs are up to the task.

Unless you’re on a tour that includes people carrying your bags for you, you’ll be employing arm muscles that have never seen active duty. You’ll lift your carry-on to the overhead bin. You might lift your full bag to the luggage-organizer-guy on the roof of the aforementioned bus.

At some point you’ll probably have to climb several flights of stairs with your bag in hand or on your back. Or, if you like quaint hillside colonial towns (like I do), you’ll end up climbing those quaint hillsides on foot – because, to keep the town quaint for us touristy types, the town keeps all ancient narrow meandering roads (or footpaths) as-is. Your legs and lungs don’t always appreciate this as much as the rest of you does.

Get your climbing muscles ready with a treadmill set to an incline.

Have I missed any? And how would you fitness experts prepare for these movements? (Short of simply traveling more, which is always highly recommended.)

And remember this one thing – it’s all worth it! A little soreness is a small price to pay for experiencing the world beyond your city limits.

25 Jan 2013

I leave for Nicaragua in a few days, so this is a good time to share my own list of last-minute preparations – especially related to international travel.

The list is somewhat random (reflecting the random nature of thoughts during the last-minute phase of travel planning). They may not all apply to you, but take what you want and trash the rest.

Call your credit card companies and tell them where and when you’ll be traveling, so they don’t think it’s fraud when you start charging things halfway around the world. Also tell your bank.

Figure out your money. How much cash should you take? How will you spend money when you’re there? To get local currency, I use a local ATM. In addition, I take enough cash to get by in case there’s no other way to get money. This happened to me before – in Nicaragua, in fact – the one ATM in town was not working, the bank wouldn’t take any of my cards, and the Western Union was down.

Set up PIN numbers for your credit cards, so you can use them to access cash from ATMs. I prefer to use credit card rather than my bank’s ATM/debit card, because I don’t like the idea of another entity gaining access – however remotely – to my checking account. I do carry it as a backup, but I don’t use it if I don’t have to. This might be overly cautious, but hey – OCD is right there in the title of the website, so what did you expect?

Color your hair. Ok, this one’s just for me. I’m 43 and totally gray and that’s just not acceptable. So I usually color my hair before I travel. For longer trips, I can’t avoid root creep, but at least I start out fresh as Medium Reddish Brown.

Find out what your wireless carrier offers for international service, and make sure you’re aware of all potential fees before you start unwittingly racking up hundreds of dollars of international calling, texting or data fees.

Check the weather on weather.com – don’t just rely on your guidebook’s general description of what the weather is usually like this time of year. Sure, Lonely Planet is great. But I don’t know about where you live, but here in LA the weather has not followed typical patterns this past year. It’s probably true of other places, as well.

Make sure you have medical insurance that will cover you if you need to be transported back home or to better medical facilities someplace else. This is not just for life-threatening emergencies. A friend of mine injured her hip in Malawi, where medical resources are not what we’re used to. She had to be moved to South Africa via helicopter – a ride that likely would have cost her $60,000 (and that’s being conservative) if she didn’t have insurance to cover it. Check your policy. I always purchase travel insurance that covers those contingencies – the policy usually costs me about $50. World Nomads and Allianz are good sources. (More on the creepy language of travel insurance in a future post.)

Set up out-of-office responders for all email accounts.

Pay any bills that will come due while you’re out. If a bill hasn’t arrived yet, call the company and get your balance to date and make a payment early, or make arrangements for someone to receive your mail and pay your bills while you’re out. With online bill pay, this part of travel has gotten much easier in recent years. I’m sure there are plenty of ways to make financial arrangements that I don’t know of. Here’s a great resource: http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com. She knows all things travel and finance.

Make photocopies of your passport. Give a copy to someone who’s staying home, and bring a copy with you in a ziplock bag.

30 Jun 2012

30 Jun 2012

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Travel light.

Efficient, expansive travel requires less, not more.
One bag that serves multiple functions.
A sarong that's also a towel, blanket or sheet.
Clothing layers that pack small and carry light.
A daypack with one-reach access to essentials.
A pocket for my Chapstick.

My OCD

can make me feel encumbered and anxious. But the lighter I travel the more liberated I feel (as long as my Chapstick and water bottle are within reach).

Join me!

"Less" requires planning. For me, honing the art of traveling light is a journey unto itself. And I STILL haven't found the perfect travel bag.

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Disclaimer

The content on this site is based on the personal experiences of an OCD-positive traveler. It is not medical advice. If you think you suffer from anxiety, seek the counsel of a medical professional. Believe me, it helps.